Zlín
Encyclopedia
Zlín from 1949 to 1989 Gottwaldov (ˈɡotvaldof), is a city in the Zlín Region
, southeastern Moravia
, Czech Republic
, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes
company. Due to Bata's
managerial excellence Zlín became famous for the company's extraordinary social scheme developed after the First World War and its modernist urbanism
.
founded a shoe factory there in 1894 when the population was approximately 3,000 inhabitants. Baťa's factory supplied the Austro-Hungarian army
in World War I
as the region was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Due to the remarkable economic growth of the company and the increasing prosperity of its workers, Baťa himself was elected mayor of Zlín in 1923. Baťa designed the town as he saw fit until his death in 1932, at which time the population of Zlín was approximately 35,000. Tomáš Baťa in his ultimate wisdom, had decided to sell his business to his brother Jan Antonin on May 10, 1931 (when the company Bata a.s., Zlin was founded). Tomas Bata confirmed the sale in his will to make doubly sure that his brother Jan Antonin would become the owner of the Bata businesses. Many of the dreams Tomas and Jan had, Jan ended up building, by more than doubling the size of the business in Czechoslovakia (in fact nearly tripling the business to nearly 50,000 people in Czechoslovakia alone). Jan also built up Batov (1933), the Bata Canal
(1934), Baťovany (1938, renamed Partizánske
in 1948), Svit
(1939) and all of the other international Bata towns such as Batanagar
(1934–37). Although Jan learned from Tomas' ideas, they were merely ideas which required large investments, action plans, and inspirational management techniques. But somehow, Jan Antonin was able to build dozens of city towns around the world in a span of time less than ten years which is truly a miracle.
When the business transaction was finalized through a court probate proceeding in 1932 as prescribed by Czechoslovakian law, Jan Antonin became the legitimate owner of the Bata family business. In fact, in the newspaper the day after the death of Tomas Bata, Klement Gottwald, a communist wrote a full page article predicting the bankruptcy of Bata. Further, in the month before his death, Tomas Bata dismissed 5,000 people from the factory due to the worldwide economic depression. In the months after Tomas Bata's death, and in spite of the terrible economic conditions in Czechoslovakia, Jan Bata rose to the occasion and rehired all of the workers who had been let go. Jan Antonin refused to let the worldwide economic conditions deter his plans to expand the business. And from 1932 onward, the Bata business grew like few other had ever done before or afterwards. Jan Antonin built for Czechoslovakia an economic giant, employing more than 100,000 people by 1939 from a level of 16,000 in 1932.
Jan Antonin was forced to flee from Czechoslovakia after the invasion by the Nazis, Tomas' son Thomas
manager of the buying department of the English Bata Company was unable to return again until after the war when the Baťa company
was nationalized. Thomas was sent to Canada
by his Uncle Jan where he was the Vice President of the Bata Import and Export Company of Canada, which later developed into another model community named Batawa
that had been founded by Jan Antonin Bata in 1938.
many predicted an early end to Baťa's economic success. Yet the company expanded even more rapidly. Zlín became the strategic headquarters of a fast growing international company. The Batamen (as Baťa's foreign workers were called) worked across the globe. The city became the centre for managing an international supply and manufuacturing chain, ranging from Malaysia where rubber was bought; through India where, in the city of Batanagar
, a shoe factory was constructed; to Argentina from where leather hides were imported. Among the most important shoe factories, or "Zlín satellites" as they were called, based outside of the Czech Republic were:
All of these new projects were being managed along with steady growth of the number of Baťa's employees based in Zlín. When a Czechoslovak communist senator announced in a 1932 speech called "Moscow or Zlín?" that Baťa (as a prototypical capitalist symbol) would go bankrupt in few years, he could not have been further from truth. During the time of nazi German
occupation from 1939 to 1945, Zlín was part of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
.
, Klement Gottwald
. In 1990 the whole city was renamed Zlín.
's Garden city movement
and the second tracing its lineage to Le Corbusier
's vision of urban modernity. From the very beginning Baťa pursued the goal of constructing the Garden City proposed by Ebenezer Howard. However, the shape of the city had to be 'modernized' so as to suit the needs of the company and of the expanding community. Zlín's distinctive architecture was guided by principles that were strictly observed during its whole inter-war development. Its central theme was the derivation of all architectural elements from the factory buildings. The central position of the industrial production in the life of all Zlín inhabitants was to be highlighted. Hence the same building materials (red bricks, glass, reinforced concrete) were used for the construction of all public (and most private) edifices. The common structural element of Zlín architecture is a square bay of 20x20 feet (6.15x6.15 m). Although modified by several variations, this high modernist style leads to a high degree of uniformity of all buildings. It highlights the central and unique idea of an industrial garden city at the same time. Architectural and urban functionalism was to serve the demands of a modern city. The simplicity of its buildings which also translated into its functional adaptability was to prescribe (and also react to) the needs of everyday life.
The urban plan of Zlín was the creation of František Lydie Gahura
, a student at Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris. Le Corbusier's inspiration was evident in the basic principles of the city's architecture. On his visit to Zlín in 1935, where he was appointed to preside over the selective procedure for new apartment houses. Le Corbusier also received a commission for creating the plan for further expansion of the city and the company. His plan represented a paradigm shift from his earlier conceptions of urban design. Here he abandoned an anthropomorphic, centralized city model in favor of the linear city format. The change in Le Corbusier's thinking was also reflected by the abandonment of the à redents residential pattern in favor of free-standing slab blocks. His Zlín plan, however, was never fully adopted.
[ removed lines: 54 (2004), 57 (2006), 38 (2010) ]
[ removed lines: 5 (1996), 3 (2004), 18 (2011) | re-established lines: 3 (2006) ]
with: Altenburg
, Germany
Groningen, Netherlands
Chorzów
, Poland
Izegem
, Belgium
Limbach-Oberfrohna
, Germany
Romans-sur-Isère
, France
Sesto San Giovanni
, Italy
Trenčín
, Slovakia
Zlín Region
Zlín Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the central-eastern part of the historical region of Moravia. It is named after its capital Zlín....
, southeastern Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, on the Dřevnice River. The development of the modern city is closely connected to the Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
company. Due to Bata's
Tomáš Bata
Tomáš Baťa was a Czech entrepreneur, founder of Bata Shoes company, one of the world's biggest multinational retailers, manufacturers and distributors of footwear and accessories.-Career:...
managerial excellence Zlín became famous for the company's extraordinary social scheme developed after the First World War and its modernist urbanism
Urbanism
Broadly, urbanism is a focus on cities and urban areas, their geography, economies, politics, social characteristics, as well as the effects on, and caused by, the built environment.-Philosophy:...
.
Zlín and Tomáš Baťa (1894–1932)
The town grew rapidly after Tomáš BaťaTomáš Bata
Tomáš Baťa was a Czech entrepreneur, founder of Bata Shoes company, one of the world's biggest multinational retailers, manufacturers and distributors of footwear and accessories.-Career:...
founded a shoe factory there in 1894 when the population was approximately 3,000 inhabitants. Baťa's factory supplied the Austro-Hungarian army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as the region was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Due to the remarkable economic growth of the company and the increasing prosperity of its workers, Baťa himself was elected mayor of Zlín in 1923. Baťa designed the town as he saw fit until his death in 1932, at which time the population of Zlín was approximately 35,000. Tomáš Baťa in his ultimate wisdom, had decided to sell his business to his brother Jan Antonin on May 10, 1931 (when the company Bata a.s., Zlin was founded). Tomas Bata confirmed the sale in his will to make doubly sure that his brother Jan Antonin would become the owner of the Bata businesses. Many of the dreams Tomas and Jan had, Jan ended up building, by more than doubling the size of the business in Czechoslovakia (in fact nearly tripling the business to nearly 50,000 people in Czechoslovakia alone). Jan also built up Batov (1933), the Bata Canal
Bata Canal
Baťa Canal is a navigable canal on Morava river in the Czech Republic. The water canal was built during 1934-38 and today it serves mainly for recreational cruises.-History:...
(1934), Baťovany (1938, renamed Partizánske
Partizánske
Partizánske |partisan]] town, formerly: Baťovany) is a town in Trenčín Region, Slovakia.-Geography:It is located in the northern part of the Danubian Hills around from Nitra, on the Nitra River, near the Tribeč mountains.-History:...
in 1948), Svit
Svit
Svit is a small town and municipality in Poprad District in the Prešov Region in northern Slovakia. It lies west of the city of Poprad, at the foothills of the High Tatras.-History:Svit is one of the youngest Slovak towns...
(1939) and all of the other international Bata towns such as Batanagar
Batanagar
Batanagar is a town in South 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is one of the places named after the multinational shoe company Bata. There is a plant of the Bata company here...
(1934–37). Although Jan learned from Tomas' ideas, they were merely ideas which required large investments, action plans, and inspirational management techniques. But somehow, Jan Antonin was able to build dozens of city towns around the world in a span of time less than ten years which is truly a miracle.
When the business transaction was finalized through a court probate proceeding in 1932 as prescribed by Czechoslovakian law, Jan Antonin became the legitimate owner of the Bata family business. In fact, in the newspaper the day after the death of Tomas Bata, Klement Gottwald, a communist wrote a full page article predicting the bankruptcy of Bata. Further, in the month before his death, Tomas Bata dismissed 5,000 people from the factory due to the worldwide economic depression. In the months after Tomas Bata's death, and in spite of the terrible economic conditions in Czechoslovakia, Jan Bata rose to the occasion and rehired all of the workers who had been let go. Jan Antonin refused to let the worldwide economic conditions deter his plans to expand the business. And from 1932 onward, the Bata business grew like few other had ever done before or afterwards. Jan Antonin built for Czechoslovakia an economic giant, employing more than 100,000 people by 1939 from a level of 16,000 in 1932.
Jan Antonin was forced to flee from Czechoslovakia after the invasion by the Nazis, Tomas' son Thomas
Thomas J. Bata
Tomáš Jan Baťa, , also known as Tomas Bata Jr. and Tomáš Baťa ml. and "Shoemaker to the World", ran the Bata Shoe Company from the 1940s until the '80s. His last name pronounce baht-ya....
manager of the buying department of the English Bata Company was unable to return again until after the war when the Baťa company
Bata Shoes
Bata Shoes is a large, family owned shoe company based in Bermuda but currently headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating 3 business units worldwide – Bata Metro Markets, Bata Emerging Markets and Bata Branded Business. It has a retail presence in over 50 countries and production...
was nationalized. Thomas was sent to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
by his Uncle Jan where he was the Vice President of the Bata Import and Export Company of Canada, which later developed into another model community named Batawa
Batawa, Ontario
Batawa is a small community in South-Eastern Ontario, Canada. This planned hamlet was founded by Thomas J. Bata in the 1930s near the city of Trenton and is today part of the city of Quinte West. It is the site of the Bata Shoe Company's old shoe factory, which began operation in...
that had been founded by Jan Antonin Bata in 1938.
Expansion of the Company and the City
During the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
many predicted an early end to Baťa's economic success. Yet the company expanded even more rapidly. Zlín became the strategic headquarters of a fast growing international company. The Batamen (as Baťa's foreign workers were called) worked across the globe. The city became the centre for managing an international supply and manufuacturing chain, ranging from Malaysia where rubber was bought; through India where, in the city of Batanagar
Batanagar
Batanagar is a town in South 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is one of the places named after the multinational shoe company Bata. There is a plant of the Bata company here...
, a shoe factory was constructed; to Argentina from where leather hides were imported. Among the most important shoe factories, or "Zlín satellites" as they were called, based outside of the Czech Republic were:
- MöhlinMöhlinMöhlin |Rheinfelden]] in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The area around Möhlin was prehistorically settled. A neolithic settlement has been discovered at Chleizelgli, while scattered Bronze Age items were discovered around the municipality. There was a Roman era estate as well as...
(in Switzerland in 1932) - Hellocourt (France, 1932)
- East TilburyEast TilburyEast Tilbury is a village in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, England and one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock.-History:In Saxon times, the location on which the church now stands was surrounded by tidal marshland...
(England, 1933), see also the historical project Bata Memories - Best (The Netherlands, 1933)
- Belcamp (USA, 1936).
- BatanagarBatanagarBatanagar is a town in South 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is one of the places named after the multinational shoe company Bata. There is a plant of the Bata company here...
(India)
All of these new projects were being managed along with steady growth of the number of Baťa's employees based in Zlín. When a Czechoslovak communist senator announced in a 1932 speech called "Moscow or Zlín?" that Baťa (as a prototypical capitalist symbol) would go bankrupt in few years, he could not have been further from truth. During the time of nazi German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupation from 1939 to 1945, Zlín was part of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
.
Postwar Era
Zlín was merged in 1948 with several surrounding communities to form Gottwaldov, named after the first communist president of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Klement Gottwald
Klement Gottwald
Klement Gottwald was a Czechoslovakian Communist politician, longtime leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia , prime minister and president of Czechoslovakia.-Early life:...
. In 1990 the whole city was renamed Zlín.
Urban Utopia
The astonishing feature of the city's architectural development was a characteristic synthesis of two modernist urban utopian visions: the first inspired by Ebenezer HowardEbenezer Howard
Sir Ebenezer Howard is known for his publication Garden Cities of To-morrow , the description of a utopian city in which people live harmoniously together with nature. The publication resulted in the founding of the garden city movement, that realized several Garden Cities in Great Britain at the...
's Garden city movement
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
and the second tracing its lineage to Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
's vision of urban modernity. From the very beginning Baťa pursued the goal of constructing the Garden City proposed by Ebenezer Howard. However, the shape of the city had to be 'modernized' so as to suit the needs of the company and of the expanding community. Zlín's distinctive architecture was guided by principles that were strictly observed during its whole inter-war development. Its central theme was the derivation of all architectural elements from the factory buildings. The central position of the industrial production in the life of all Zlín inhabitants was to be highlighted. Hence the same building materials (red bricks, glass, reinforced concrete) were used for the construction of all public (and most private) edifices. The common structural element of Zlín architecture is a square bay of 20x20 feet (6.15x6.15 m). Although modified by several variations, this high modernist style leads to a high degree of uniformity of all buildings. It highlights the central and unique idea of an industrial garden city at the same time. Architectural and urban functionalism was to serve the demands of a modern city. The simplicity of its buildings which also translated into its functional adaptability was to prescribe (and also react to) the needs of everyday life.
The urban plan of Zlín was the creation of František Lydie Gahura
František Lydie Gahura
František Lydie Gahura was a Czech architect and sculptor who became famous for his collaboration on the architectural and urban design of Zlín, a city in southeastern Czech Republic. He worked for the Bata Shoes organization in the 1920s and 1930s....
, a student at Le Corbusier's atelier in Paris. Le Corbusier's inspiration was evident in the basic principles of the city's architecture. On his visit to Zlín in 1935, where he was appointed to preside over the selective procedure for new apartment houses. Le Corbusier also received a commission for creating the plan for further expansion of the city and the company. His plan represented a paradigm shift from his earlier conceptions of urban design. Here he abandoned an anthropomorphic, centralized city model in favor of the linear city format. The change in Le Corbusier's thinking was also reflected by the abandonment of the à redents residential pattern in favor of free-standing slab blocks. His Zlín plan, however, was never fully adopted.
Architectural Highlights
- The Villa of Tomáš Baťa was an early architectural achievement in Zlín (the construction was finished in 1911). The building's design was carried out by the famous Czech architect Jan KotěraJan KoteraJan Kotěra was a Czech architect, artist and interior designer, and one of the key figures of modern architecture in Bohemia.-Biography:...
, professor at Prague's Academy of Fine Arts. After its confiscation in 1945 the building served as a Pioneers' house. Being returned to Tomáš J. Baťa, the son of the company's founder, the building houses the headquarters of the Thomas Bata Foundation. - Baťa’s Hospital in Zlín was originally founded in 1927 and quickly developed into one of the most modern Czechoslovak hospitals. The original architectural set up was designed by František Lydie GahuraFrantišek Lydie GahuraFrantišek Lydie Gahura was a Czech architect and sculptor who became famous for his collaboration on the architectural and urban design of Zlín, a city in southeastern Czech Republic. He worked for the Bata Shoes organization in the 1920s and 1930s....
. - The Grand Cinema (Velké kino) was built in 1932 and became the largest cinema in Europe (2580 seated viewers) in its time. The cinema also boasted the largest movie screen in Europe (9 x 7 meters). This technological marvel was designed by the Czech architects Miroslav Lorenc (1896–1943) and František Lydie GahuraFrantišek Lydie GahuraFrantišek Lydie Gahura was a Czech architect and sculptor who became famous for his collaboration on the architectural and urban design of Zlín, a city in southeastern Czech Republic. He worked for the Bata Shoes organization in the 1920s and 1930s....
(1896–1958). - The Monument of Tomáš Baťa was built in 1933 by František Lydie GahuraFrantišek Lydie GahuraFrantišek Lydie Gahura was a Czech architect and sculptor who became famous for his collaboration on the architectural and urban design of Zlín, a city in southeastern Czech Republic. He worked for the Bata Shoes organization in the 1920s and 1930s....
. The original purpose of the building was to commemorate the achievements of Baťa before his unexpected death in a plane crash in 1932. The building itself is a constructivist masterpiece. It has served as the seat of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bohuslava Martinů since 1955.
- Baťa's Skyscraper (Baťův mrakodrap, Jednadvacítka) was built by Jan Antonin Bata to serve as the central office for the worldwide Bata organization. Through Jan Bata's detailed plans of work, a small group of workers was able to build one floor per month, completing the building in a little more than a year. The skyscraper was finished in 1938 with one special feature: Jan had his office built inside of an elevator so that he could move from floor to floor to manage his businesses of more than 100,000 employees. This elevator office also has a working sink, a working telephone, and had built in air conditioning. This tallest Czechoslovak building (77.5 m) was designed by architect Vladimír KarfíkVladimír KarfíkVladimir Karfík was one of the most important, well-known and influential Czechoslovak, and also Slovak architects...
. The building has recently undergone an expensive renovation and is currently the headquarters of the Zlín Regional Government.
Public transport
Public transport in Zlín has a long history. In 1899 Zlin was connected with local railway, that was the presumption for the expansion of Zlín. In 1920's the local passenger transportation started to operate. Later, in 1939 the town council decided to build first 3 trolleybus routes, including line A, B and C. New trolleybus lines were finished in 1944, after the construction proceeding during the Nazi occupation. Through the times, Zlín's public transport, now owned by DSZO (Transportation Company Zlin & Otrokovice), was one of the fastest growing public transportation network in the Czech Republic.Bus lines
31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 51, 53, 55, 70[ removed lines: 54 (2004), 57 (2006), 38 (2010) ]
Trolleybus lines
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14[ removed lines: 5 (1996), 3 (2004), 18 (2011) | re-established lines: 3 (2006) ]
Twin towns and sister cities
Zlín is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Groningen, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Chorzów
Chorzów
Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Izegem
Izegem
Izegem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Izegem proper and the towns of Emelgem and Kachtem. Emelgem was added to Izegem in 1965, Kachtem in 1977. Izegem itself lies on the southern banks of the Mandel, Emelgem and Kachtem on...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Limbach-Oberfrohna
Limbach-Oberfrohna
Limbach-Oberfrohna is a town in the district of Zwickau in the German Free State of Saxony.-Main sights:* Schloss Wolkenburg* Protestant church in Oberfrohna* Wasserturm * Town Hall* Limbach Municipal Church-Economy:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère or Romans is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Sesto San Giovanni
Sesto San Giovanni
Sesto San Giovanni is a comune in the Milan metropolitan area, located in the province of Milan and region of Lombardy in Italy. Its railway station is the northernmost stop on the Milan Metro M1 line. The city is informally referred to as "Sesto"...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Trenčín
Trencín
Trenčín is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 56,000, which makes it the ninth largest municipality of the country and is the seat of the Trenčín Region and the Trenčín District...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
People
- The playwright Tom StoppardTom StoppardSir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
was born Tomas Straussler in Zlín in 1937 where his father Eugene (Evžen) was a physician under the forward-looking Bata doctor, Bohuslav Albert. The Strausslers left for Singapore in 1939. The Strausslers were one of the Jewish families that Jan Bata rescued from the Nazis at the outset of WWII. - Daniel MálekDaniel MálekDaniel Málek is a retired male breaststroke swimmer from the Czech Republic, who won two bronze medals in the men's breaststroke events at the 1997 European Championships in Seville, Spain. He represented his native country at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in Atlanta, Georgia...
, a Czech breaststroke swimmer and three-time Olympian, was born in Zlín. - Ivana TrumpIvana TrumpIvana Trump is a former Olympic athlete, socialite, and fashion model noted for her marriage to mogul Donald Trump.-Early years:...
, Donald TrumpDonald TrumpDonald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
's ex-wife, was born in Zlín - Vladimír HučínVladimír HucínVladimír Hučín is a Czech political celebrity and dissident of both communist and post/communist era....
famous Czech political personality was born in Zlin. - The Broadcaster Sir John TusaJohn TusaSir John Tusa is a British arts administrator, and radio and television journalist. From 1980 to 1986 he was a main presenter of BBC 2's Newsnight programme. From 1995 until 2007 he was managing director of the City of London's Barbican Arts Centre...
was born in Zlín in 1936 where his father was a company executive. In 1939 the family went to England where his father became the Managing Director of Bata's East Tilbury factory, - Ice hockey players Roman CechmanekRoman CechmanekRoman Čechmánek is a former Czech professional ice hockey goaltender. He played professionally in the United States, Czech Republic, and Germany. He was born in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia.-Playing career:...
, Karel RachunekKarel RachunekKarel Rachůnek was a Czech professional ice hockey player. Rachunek was the captain of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League when the team's plane crashed on September 7, 2011. He played eight seasons in North America in the National Hockey League...
, Roman HamrlíkRoman HamrlíkRoman Hamrlík is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League .- Playing career :...
and Petr CajanekPetr CajanekPetr Čajánek is a Czech centre currently playing for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League .- Draft :...
. - The prominent female architect Eva JiricnaEva JiricnáEva Jiřičná CBE is a renowned Czech architect, and designer, active in London and Prague. She is known for her attention to detail and work of a distinctly modern style...
was born in Zlin. Her father worked as an architect for Bata. - Silvia SaintSilvia SaintSilvia Saint is a Czech former pornographic actress. In 1996, she was Penthouse Pet of the Year in the Czech edition of the magazine, and between 1997 and 2001, she appeared in over 250 pornographic movies....
worked as a manager of a large hotel. - The footballer Jan Zakopal was born in Zlín.
- Roman HamrlikRoman HamrlíkRoman Hamrlík is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League .- Playing career :...
of the Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
. - Robert Býček kickboxer.
- The Cover Supervisor Jolana Snook was born in Zlin, her parents still live there now
External links
- Official website
- Public Transport Official Site
- Jan Bata's contributions to Czechoslovak business and culture
- Zlinternational is an internet portal for internationals in Zlin founded by Erasmus students studying at the Tomas Bata University
- history of Zlin, old photos and postcards